Uncategorized August 21, 2013

Seattle home values up 15 percent. What is your home worth now?

Home values across the country are up. In the Seattle metro area, property prices have increased by more than 15 percent from one year ago, based on figures from Zillow, an online real estate company, reports the Puget Sound Business Journal. The region’s median home value in July was $302,600, up 2.3 percent from June and up 15.3 percent from July 2012.
Based on figures from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, The Seattle Times reports the following housing data:
The median price of single-family homes sold in King County in July climbed to $434,000, up 15 percent from a year ago and up 1.5 percent from June. The number of pending homes sales hovered above 3,000, the most since 2005. 
In Snohomish County, the median home price was $304,000, almost 12 percent higher than a year ago. 

Home values in Burien & Normandy Park, WA

Pierce County posted a 16 percent increase at a median home price of $195,000.
For King County, bank-owned homes made up just 9 percent of sales in 2013, compared to 14 percent last year, according to Richard Eastern of Bellevue-based Washington Property Solutions. Short sales comprised 13 percent of this year’s sales. Southwest King County had the lowest median price at $248,500, while the Eastside boasted the highest at $566,258.
Cash buyers continue to account for a fair portion of the market. Nearly 23 percent of June home sales in Greater Seattle were non-mortgaged purchases, according to San Diego-based DataQuick. Seattle’s real estate market continues to outpace the nation’s home appreciation rate of 6 percent with a median property value of $161,600.

Your source for Real Estate News for Seattle, Burien, Normandy Park and Des Moines.
 

– See more at: http://dustinkeeth.info/#sthash.XGaxETjH.dpuf

     

 
Blog August 9, 2013

Which US Cities have the lowest Closing Costs?

Washington’s closing costs among lowest in U.S.

As mortgage rates slowly increase, so do loan origination fees. USA Today reports that loan-origination and other fees went up 6 percent in the last year to a national average of $2,402 on a $200,000 single-family mortgage loan to a customer with stellar credit and 20 percent down, based on data from Bankrate.com. The reason for the bankloanparallel rise in rates and fees is two-fold. First, higher rates mean less profit on the money loaned. To compensate for the loss in profit, lenders attempt to make up the difference in fees. Second, the work required in underwriting loans is greater today than it has been in the past, thereby increasing costs. Bankrate’s 2013 survey indicates that Hawaii averages the highest closing costs at $2,912 for a mortgage of $200,000 (excluding taxes, title fees, property insurance, association fees, interest, and other prepaid items). In contrast, Washington has one of the lowest in the nation at $2,208. – See more at: http://dustinkeeth.info/#sthash.LtCW2P5e.dpuf

Search Burien & Normandy Park Real Estate homes for sale:

 

Blog July 26, 2013

Do you want a front porch? The front porch is a gateway to memories

The front porch is a vestige of an older, simpler way of life when families sat outside and neighbors visited with one another. Once a place for relaxation, the front porch faded in popularity due to an evolving modern life that brought about air conditioning and backyard decks, according to www.houzz.com. But the architectural feature is making a strong comeback.





There’s no easier way to add square footage to your home than to maximize the transition areas outside your property. Households can utilize the porch for additional entertaining space or for solitude. Need some inspiration? Check out Better Homes and Gardens for style ideas.




Diane Foreman, a design consultant with Neil Kelly Co. notes that the porch is, at minimum, a transitional space between the home’s exterior and interior. But the porch is also a holding place of “intangibles,” sensory experiences and memories about childhood, grandparents, and neighbors.





Seattle Times writer Tyrone Beason sums it up this way:





“The duality of the front porch is intriguing. It is a part of the house and yet it is a part of the streetscape. It is a private space but, then again, there’s nothing private about it. You can watch the world go by there — but the world can also watch you.”





Beason reminds us that a well used and aesthetically appealing front porch adds valuable space to homeowners and curb appeal to the home, which can increase the overall value of the property.

For more information on Burien Real Estate




– See more at: http://dustinkeeth.info/2013/07/24/the-front-porch-is-a-gateway-to-memories/#sthash.Fpaw15bM.dpuf


#burienhomesforsale   #burienrealestate  #normandyparkrealestate   #realestate98166